Tuesday Motivation (31/01/2017)

Hello everyone!

Wherever you are in the world, I hope you are having a happy Tuesday. For me, things are pretty much the same old, updating this blog, fighting to meet deadlines for college and carrying on my advanced reading on Psychology before university begins in September. I'm really excited because at last I finally get to pick what I want to study and make my own decisions about what I want to do in the future with regards to my career. So far, upon graduation, I want to complete a Masters and go into teaching. That might change though, so again, watch this space!

So anyway like I normally post on Twitter, I scour the internet for words of motivational wisdom and here are four quotes I would like to share with you for today's tag. Enjoy!

I hope these quotes were motivational to you in some way, there'll be plenty more where that came from on Thursday, so stay tuned!

See you in the next post,

Yours,

Sigourney

Ultravox: The Lowdown

As some of you may know now, I run a fan hub on Twitter that is dedicated to both Ultravox and Spandau Ballet named UltraSpandauVox. Before you say anything, it's a really weird combination and the name is totally unoriginal, but when it was just a Spandau Ballet fan page, lots of my followers would talk about Midge Ure and his works so I thought "Hmm, I wonder what it would be like if I posted about both bands". So far, it's been so good. People seem to be well-adjusted at the moment, always subject to change!

So who or what is Ultravox? Here's what Wikipedia had to say:

"Ultravox (formerly known as Ultravox!) are a British new wave band, formed in London in 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980–86, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was their 1981 hit "Vienna".The band has been led by two different frontmen who never played together in the band at the same time. From 1974 until 1979, singer John Foxx was frontman and the main driving force behind Ultravox. Foxx left the band to embark on a solo career and, following his departure, Midge Ure took over as lead singer, guitarist and frontman in 1980 after he and keyboardist Billy Currie worked in the studio project Visage. Ure revitalised the band and steered it to commercial success lasting until the mid-1980s. Ure left the band in 1987 after establishing his own solo career and the group disbanded for a while. A new line-up, led by Currie, was formed in 1992, but achieved limited success.The band's best-known line-up of Currie, Ure, bassist Chris Cross and drummer Warren Cann reformed in 2008 and performed a series of reunion shows in 2009 and 2010 before releasing a new studio album, Brill!ant, in May 2012. In November 2013, Ultravox performed as special guests on a four date UK arena tour with Simple Minds".

From left to right: Billy Currie, Midge Ure, Chris Cross, Warren Cann (1985)

Ultravox was one of the first synthpop bands that I listened to growing up, again through the power of VH1 Classic on television, but this time I was 16, and the video was 'Vienna'. So I'm kind of a newbie to the group. No prizes for guessing that. I will always be eternally grateful for channels like that for their existence. Like I said in my last post about George Michael and Wham! God knows what I would be doing if I had never discovered or had been introduced to these bands. Not only did I find Midge Ure pretty handsome when I watched it, but I found the song was very catchy. It wasn't long before I was raiding my mum's vinyl collection to see what treasures she had in store. She had almost the entire 80s U-Vox anthology on LP. Thank god I had been given a record player that Christmas! I find U-Vox very easy to listen to and would definitely recommend it. I haven't heard a bad song yet by them.

So, as an Ultravox fan page owner, I get frequently asked a lot of questions about the group. Here are just a few of them.

1. Who is your favourite member/which member in your opinion is the fittest?
Hmm...that's a hard one. My favourite member would have to be Billy Currie as I think he is a very talented musician, being able to play violin and synthesisers very well to create an eerie effect. As for the fittest, I would have to go with the most obvious answer and select Midge Ure...

2. What inspired you to open your fan page?
In short, I really wanted to share my passion about the group with the band and others I have listened to during my teenage years. I knew there was more fans around the world so my mission was simply to connect with them.

3. Who's your favourite frontman?
That's easy. Midge Ure. I am only just getting into the John Foxx era and my overall impression so far is good, so watch this space...it may change!

4. What's your favourite music video?
Love's Great Adventure. Love how they kept that little blooper of Midge stopping to catch his breath then carrying on. It's very amusing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPwmoLl60nc

5. What is your favourite album?
Easy. Vienna. I love every song off of it!.

6. What is your favourite single?
Reap the Wild Wind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwMLFXaeZvE

So with all that being said, Ultravox is one of many other 80's groups I adore, and there will be plenty more posts like this, I can assure you of that!

Coming up next, a couple of quotes for Tuesday motivation.

Until then, I'll see you soon.

Sigourney

My Favourite George Michael Songs and Albums

When people ask me what my favourite George Michael/Wham! songs are, I'm normally stumped as to what answer I can give them. The thing is...

I love them all, they're so lively, upbeat, relatable, emotional...the list goes on! (in a positive way of course)

But if I had to pick at least ten of them, in no particular order, this is probably what I would say.

I'll be providing links so any fans new or old can check them out :)

1. Last Christmas - Wham!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gmARGvPlI

2. Club Tropicana - Wham!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYX0sjP6Za8

3. Careless Whisper - GM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izGwDsrQ1eQ

4. A Different Corner - GM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPWHkK-_a_A

5. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go - Wham!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIgZ7gMze7A

6. Freedom - Wham!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFwOs-jy53A

7. I'm Your Man - Wham!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W0d9xMhZbo

8. Father Figure - GM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udtByWgt1Mk

9. Faith - GM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cs3Pvmmv0E

10. Everything She Wants - Wham!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf_Lwe6p-Cg

In retrospect, as I'm looking back, the list reflects the order in which I discovered the group and his solo work, appreciating more and more of his songs. As I said in one of my earlier posts, Last Christmas was the very first song by him that I heard, and influenced me to check out more and more of his works, from 2009 onwards.

Now, if I had to pick a favourite album from the band and the frontman, that would be a very tricky decision...but after a lot of thought I would choose...

Make It Big by Wham! (1984)

I love every single track on this album. Any time I see the cover for this album I can guarantee you the opening to Wake Me Up Before You Go Go starts playing in my head, I start spontaneously clicking my fingers and singing "Jitterbug!" out loud. It also gave me an introduction to George's solo works with the last track being Careless Whisper, one of my favourite GM solo singles.

And last but not least my favourite GM solo album would have to be...

Faith! (1987)

George's solo career started out with a bang for sure. I really love the gospel backing on Father Figure and the organ on Faith. A definite touch of class!

So with all that being said, I am glad to share my favourite GM albums and singles with you guys. Do you have a similar list? Or is it totally different to mine? Like I always say, each to their own. George Michael has had a major influence on my life and I can't imagine what it would have been like if I was never introduced to him that day. I would have probably found him somewhere down the line eventually, but who knows?

Hope you guys enjoyed this post and I will see you in the next one.

Yours,


Sigourney

Monday Motivation (30/01/2017)

Good morning everybody,

It's Monday once again (ugh), and so far, it's been pretty crap. Train delayed, fog so thick I could cut it with a knife, teacher not shown up for class so we can only submit half of the work...the list goes on...

Anyway, how's your Monday been so far? I know that the majority of my readers are from across the pond and Canada so hope this is something positive for you to wake up to! Most of you know on Twitter I share a bunch of quotes with the tags Monday...Tuesday...Wednesday et al motivation (Thursday Thought on Thursday) to try and spread a good vibe around cyberspace. I thought I would start doing it here too, as well as Twitter.

So with all that being said, today's quote come from no other than our boy George Michael. Hope they enlighten or motivate you a little bit. Enjoy!

See you in the next post,

Sigourney

Coping With George Michael's Death

Hello once again,

As I said in my last post, I was truly devastated by the death of the legend George Michael on Christmas Day. 53 is far too young an age to die at, he had the rest of his life ahead of him. That's the sad part. Ever since his death I've found it particularly hard to listen to his music anthology without breaking down. At time of writing it has been five weeks to the day since he passed. But to me, it's still fresh in my mind; it still seems like five minutes ago that it was breaking news. Deep down, I know he would not have wanted to have seen us be upset, instead celebrating his life and letting the legacy he left behind live on for many generations to come. 

So far, I seem to be making progress. Many lovelies say their coping mechanism is to listen to his music, but start from the very beginning at Wham! and work their way down the spectrum up to Symphonica, his last album, at their own pace. Wham! is very lively and upbeat and I spent most of my time belting my heart out to it. I had no problem with Faith or Listen Without Prejudice. I've kind of ground to a halt with Older. As much as it is a wonderful album and the music videos are superb, I can't bring myself to listen to it the whole way through. The slower music does, in my own admission, evokes emotion. However at the moment, there's a way of getting around it. Playing the entire collection on shuffle makes it easier. But one day, I will listen to the more recent albums the whole way through. That's my goal. 

I was introduced to GM/Wham! through the power of VH1 Classic when I was ten. The first song I ever heard was Last Christmas, and at the end I can remember thinking "Gosh, that was really good!" It wasn't long until I had discovered more of his work, and started to buy the albums. My parents went to see Wham! at Sheffield City Hall in December 1984. What I would have done to be born then! Jealous much! I opened Twitter with the intention of meeting more Lovelies, and mission accomplished! No regrets. I've met some really nice, sweet people on there. So, it's safe to say I've been officially a Lovelie for almost 8 years now. Admittedly, I do idolise George. I was always inspired by his style, encouraging others to express themselves...everything about him basically. So yes, I was devastated when he passed. It still feels surreal without him, even though he was not a family member, he was still a part of my life. 

So how have I been coping these past five weeks? Well, like I said I've been slowly beginning to listen to his music and watch his music videos. When I put my headphones in and turn Wham! or GM up, it feels like he's in the room with me, despite accepting he's gone. It also enables me to look back on the happy memories I've had appreciating his music, and will carry on doing so. Talking about it eases the pain. Sharing photos and videos is almost like spreading the love he left behind for us to pick up. Many people have commented that it's good that younger generations are loving his music. Honestly, I don't know what I would have done if I had never discovered him that day. I'm proud to be one of the "young guns". 

Rest in Peace, George. 

With all that being said, that's my story. We all have our own unique way of coping. 

See you in the next post, 

Sigourney

Welcome

Hello everybody!

I know I'd promised a few of my friends on Twitter that I was going to create this blog a while back but a lot of things got in the way, preventing me from creating it - but now it's finally here! Allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Megan, but to those who know me well, Sigourney. Let me just disclaim something, I'm not trying to impersonate Sigourney Weaver, not in a trillion years. My ex said I was just as beautiful as her and the rest is history. I'm almost 18 years old and reside in north-east England. So in music terms, a 'young gun'. My love affair with the 1980's started when I was ten. I can remember watching Spandau Ballet's True on VH1 Classic and I thought to myself "Hey, that was really good, I ought to look into this band". So instead of listening to One Direction or Justin Bieber with my fellow classmates, I was going back in time to what was in the charts in 1983, for example. As time went on I started to listen to more and more. By year 10, I was able to recite the entire discography of Ultravox and nearly focused the subject of my art exam on Midge Ure (in the end I decided to paint Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath). And last but not least, at the end of 2016, cried with all my fellow Lovelies when the news of George Michael's death broke the internet. Listening to his Older album now still evokes a few tears. But I'm getting there.

This blog will be all about my passion for a decade I so wish I was a part of. From the styles of the New Romantics, to most importantly, about the music. From Adam Ant to Visage, I love it all! I'll also be giving my two cents on albums and what's current in the news (regarding people from the 80s of course). I'll also be having little moans about life, and discussing my personal struggles with bullying, depression and mental health issues. I might create a separate blog for that so watch this space.

So with that all being said, I want to welcome you to my blog, and I hope to see you all in the near future.

Yours,

Sigourney